The film introduces Randy The Ram Riggens (Seann William Scott), a former minor league hockey enforcer whose glory days are long behind him. Now middle-aged, out of shape, and perpetually broke, Randy makes a living as a highly unlicensed, low-rent private investigator specializing in finding lost pets and skipping bail jumpers in the forgotten corners of the Midwest.

Randy's life changes when he reluctantly takes a case from his ex-partner, Detective Frank "Riggs" Riggle (Rob Riggle). Riggs, now a by-the-book police lieutenant, needs Randy's unique, morally flexible network to locate a missing witness in a massive corruption case a witness who disappeared from police custody and whose absence threatens to collapse Riggs’s career.

The main conflict kicks off when Randy finds the witness, a young, brilliant but extremely paranoid hacker named Ethan (Chance Perdomo), hiding in a server farm basement. Ethan refuses to cooperate, believing that both the corrupt police and the criminal organization he betrayed are hunting him. Randy must now protect Ethan a fragile, high-tech liability while navigating a swarm of professional killers and internal affairs officers.

The tension builds as Randy, who relies purely on brute force, questionable driving skills, and instinct, clashes constantly with Ethan, who relies on algorithms, social media manipulation, and cryptography. Their odd-couple dynamic forms the core humor and challenge of the movie: the "Bad Man" (Randy) must learn strategy, while the hacker must learn to throw a punch.

The film features a series of high-energy, improvised action sequences that take advantage of Randy’s clumsy strength and local knowledge including a chaotic brawl during a small-town carnival and a car chase involving a stolen ice resurfacing machine. Randy discovers that the corruption runs far deeper than Riggs let on, extending into every level of the city government.

The climax is set during a heavily guarded political fundraiser. Randy and Ethan execute a complex, simultaneous plan: Ethan uses his hacking skills to trigger a digital blackout and expose the corrupted funds to the public, while Randy uses his brawling skills to draw the attention of the corrupt security detail. The final confrontation pits Randy against the true mastermind of the conspiracy, who turns out to be a figure much closer to Riggs than expected.

The film concludes with Randy succeeding, clearing Riggs's name, and exposing the corruption. Randy doesn't become a hero; he returns to his dingy office, but he earns Ethan's respect and a legitimate, high-paying consulting gig from the grateful city council. Randy is still a "Bad Man," but now he's a "Bad Man" doing good and finally paying his rent on time.